Forbidden Song

National Socialism had devised its own notion of the value of German art and culture. This was ruthlessly put into practice when the Nazis took over power in 1933. The more than 175 "degenerate" recorded musical items in this extraordinary 10-CD box set, 'Forbidden But Not Forgotten', relate to the shocking consequences due to that "cleansing". The burning of the Reichstag (7th April) provided the pretext for the prosecution of all who held other political opinions, for the burning of books (10th May) whose authors were on the index of disfavoured and banned writers, for the law that amended entry to the civil service (7th April) that excluded all non-Aryans and led to wholesale dismissals of Jews, especially in orchestras, the administration, among singers, conductors and instrumentalists. By means of the exhibitions "Degenerate Art" (Munich, 1937) and "Degenerate Music" (Düsseldorf, 1938) art and artists who were now to have no place in Nazi Germany were pilloried.

When the most influential heavy metal band ever to have roamed the earth teams up with Body Count's Ernie C to try and inject new life into their sound, it should have been the signal to give up the ghost.

Temptation, prohibition, good, evil… ‘how relevant are these in today's world?’ asks Benjamin Appl. With the complicity of pianist James Baillieu, we are taken on a musical arc from simple folk songs through to the great song composers such as Schubert, Schumann and Wolf, along the way visiting the French masters Debussy and Poulenc, exploring ‘new objectivity’ with Weill and Eisler and enjoying compositions by Casucci, Heggie and others.

When the most influential heavy metal band ever to have roamed the earth teams up with Body Count's Ernie C to try and inject new life into their sound, it should have been the signal to give up the ghost. But poor Black Sabbath named an album Never Say Die because they meant it, and this sad album is a reminder of how dim even the brightest lights can get. Where their last album was an uneven but pleasant return to form, this is just the band going through the motions. "Get a Grip" takes its riff from Iommi's own "Zero the Hero" and totally wrecks it; "Can't Get Close Enough" is an awful power metal ballad; and "Shaking Off the Chains" might be the worst Tony Martin-fronted Sabbath song. And that is a bold claim considering how awful Tyr was.

Brer Rabbit. Uncle Remus. Song of the South. Racist? Disney thinks so. And that's why it has forbidden the theatrical re-release of its classic film Song of the South since 1986.

Temptation, prohibition, good, evil… ‘how relevant are these in today's world?’ asks Benjamin Appl. With the complicity of pianist James Baillieu, we are taken on a musical arc from simple folk songs through to the great song composers such as Schubert, Schumann and Wolf, along the way visiting the French masters Debussy and Poulenc, exploring ‘new objectivity’ with Weill and Eisler and enjoying compositions by Casucci, Heggie and others.

'Forbidden Fruit' finds Finnish slide guitarist Erja Lyytinen taking the blues into the personal realm, to find new ways of expressing her feelings, understanding life experiences and realising her musical ambitions. From the deeply felt lyrics and well crafted songs, to the emotional input of her solos and expansive band harmonies, 'Forbidden Fruit' embodies the essence of everything we identify as the blues. Whether you could call it therapy, deeply held personal convictions, or more simply a celebration of life, this album has it all. And as Erja humorously remarks; 'It was all made without an auto tuner (laughs), so everything is played and sang as you hear it'.